Why it matters: Solomon Ray's rise marks one of the first times an AI-generated Black Christian artist has broken through a major streaming chart, and the conservative creator behind it is intensifying scrutiny of the creation.
As police scoured New England this week for the gunman who killed two people at Brown University, a parallel manhunt erupted online, falsely targeting a Palestinian student.
Authorities say the real suspect, a Portuguese national also linked to the slaying of an MIT professor, was found dead Thursday in New Hampshire.
Why it matters: Social media influencers who play detective after tragedies are getting it disastrously wrong — falsely accusing innocent people of crimes with little evidence, massive reach and virtually no accountability.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed the RAISE Act into law Friday, making New York the latest state to have broad safety rules for the most advanced AI models.
Why it matters: New York and California are setting de facto safety rules for frontier AI companies in the U.S. as Congress struggles to settle on federal standards.
The prediction markets battle is unfolding on multiple fronts as sportsbooks, trading platforms and regulators test the boundaries of U.S. betting law.
Why it matters: DraftKings, one of the nation's largest sportsbooks, launched its long-anticipated prediction market Friday, embracing a fast-growing alternative to traditional online gambling.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) drove the most search engine attention this year compared to her fellow House members, according to data from Google Trends.
Why it matters: AOC has long known how to capture America's attention. This year's interest comes as her team has been preparing for a future Senate or presidential run, as Axios has reported.
Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) sparked more Google searches than any other senator this year, according to data from Google Trends.
Why it matters: The progressive powerhouse has spent the year loudly protesting President Trump, and stepping into the vacuum of Democratic leadership created by the disastrous 2024 election for the party.
DraftKings — which runs one of the two largest sportsbooks in the U.S. — has launched its long-anticipated prediction market, embracing a surging alternative format to traditional online gambling.
Why it matters: The rise of prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi has upended the betting landscape, allowing users to risk money on sports outcomes even in states that haven't legalized wagering.
President Trump's executive order targeting state AI laws faces long odds in the courts, setting the stage for the real battle to play out on Capitol Hill.
Why it matters: Trump's order relies on a flimsy interpretation of the Constitution that is ripe for lawsuits, legal experts say.
A security review of eight popular internet toys found "widespread security and privacy weaknesses," per a new report shared first with Axios from Mozilla Foundation and cybersecurity consultant 7ASecurity.
Why it matters: Connected toys like tablets, smartwatches, and robots now store everything from a kid's photos to their location, raising serious privacy concerns and creating new vulnerabilities for hackers and other bad actors.
Senate Democrats are starting to push back against President Trump's executive order limiting states from passing their own AI laws.
Why it matters: Democrats' opposition to the order highlights the difficult task for Congress — coming up with their own plan to regulate AI and agreeing on how far it should go.
TikTok has signed a deal to divest its U.S. entity to a joint venture controlled by American investors, per an internal memo seen by Axios.
Why it matters: A deal would end a yearslong saga to force TikTok's Chinese parent ByteDance to sell the company's U.S. operation to domestic owners to alleviate national security concerns.
